Family of slain human rights activist cries out for justice

By Anayo Okoli
The family of late Comrade Chidi Nwosu, who was murdered on the night of December 29, 2010, in his house at Ameke Abam in Arochukwu, council area of Abia state, has called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim and the Abia State Police Commissioner, Mr. Bala Hassan to thoroughly investigate the matter with a view to ensuring that those who killed the civil rights activists were apprehended.

The killing of Nwosu had sparked off demonstrations in the community as the youths had reacted angrily, even as they pointed accusing fingers on some community leaders in the area.

Already, 6 suspects have been arrested and are now in police custody, but Nwosu family are not yet satisfied as according to them two prime suspects they are fingering in the gory incident of December 29 incident were yet to be arrested.

The two prime suspects, according to the family members who spoke to journalists in Ameke Abam, were the immediate past General Manager of the Abia Rubber Company, where late Chidi Nwosu was in charge before he was killed, as well as the Administrative Manager of the company, a woman, simply identified as Nkiru. The duo were said not have been interrogated by the police let alone arresting them.

Engr. Ifeanyi Nwosu, the younger brother to slain Nwosu, who strongly suspected the duo, lamented that they were still walking in the streets free, almost one month after the death of his brother.

Engr. Nwosu also alleged that their cousin Steve Okereke Nwosu and one Onwubiko Nwoke both of Ameke Abam were also suspected to have hand in the death of Chidi.

According to him, the six suspects handed over to the police were caught by the village youths within the village and the neighbouring village where they had fled at the time of the incident.

However, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Investigation Department [CID] Abia State, Mr. Joseph Micloth, when contacted confirmed the murder but said that the family members have not come forward with any information at their disposal that would assist the police in their investigation.

Micloth explained that the police were working on information available to them and will not go about arresting people indiscriminately without any evidence linking them to the incident. According to him, the six suspects in their custody would be charged to court soon as the police have concluded investigation. He called on the family to come forward with information available to them.

In his account of the ugly incident, the father of the late human rights activist, Chief Nwosu Oko Nwosu said: “1:30 a.m on the 29th of December 2010 I was awakened by a deafening noise of shout of Chidi. I ran to his house about 1km from the village [his father’s house], when I went into his house I saw my son lying in a pool of blood. In the morning a locally made pistol was found at the scene with two barrels and a cap whose owner was identified to be among the villagers. These were handed over to the police the next morning. The police at Ozu Abam police station were alerted at about 2 a.m. but they could not come until 9 a.m. It was about 12 noon that he was carried to the mortuary.

He said the matter is being investigated by the police and appealed to the police authority to ensure that justice was done by prosecuting all the people indicted in the murder no matter how highly placed.